The end-of-season championship has become renowned as a proving ground for the stars of the following season. In fact, each of the last seven Winter Series champions have gone on to finish in the overall championship top two the next year.
Of those, four have won the main title the next season; Seb Morris, Harry Woodhead, Jamie Caroline and Adam Smalley, with reigning Winter Series champion James Hedley aiming to become the fifth driver to achieve that feat during the 2019 season finale at Brands Hatch this weekend.
Brands Hatch has become the spiritual home of the Winter Series since its inception in 2008. This year’s running will follow a tried and tested formula once again, with a two day competition consisting of one qualifying session and two races taking place each day.
Ash Gallagher, Ginetta Motorsport Manager: “The Ginetta Junior Winter Series provides the perfect opportunity for existing Junior drivers to get some more racing experience under their belt, and for prospective drivers for next year to get their first taste of Ginetta racing.
“Over the last few years, being crowned Winter Series champion has become a prestigious accolade and helped launch drivers into the following season. The championship also has a superb prize pot and allows drivers to end the year in style with some competitive racing on a great circuit.”
The Important Part … Regulations
The regulations will be based on that of the 2019 Ginetta Junior Championship, bar a small number of changes:
- A maximum of four new Michelin control tyres will be available for use during the whole weekend (covering 2 x qualifying and 4 x races).
- Pump fuel will be used in place of the normal controlled fuel.
- ‘Rookie’ Class drivers will be any driver who have competed in less than three Ginetta Junior race weekends.
The full regulations can be found at: https://www.ginetta.com/uploads/downloads/2019-Ginetta-Junior-Regulations-Published-Copy.pdf
The Fun Part … Prizes
A brilliant prize pot for the 2019 Ginetta Junior Winter Series consists of:
- Overall Champion – 50% off their entry fee into either the 2020 Ginetta Junior Championship or the Ginetta GT5 Challenge, plus two tickets to the Ginetta Awards Dinner to collect their trophy.
- Second Overall – £1,500 parts credit at Ginetta Cars.
- Third Overall – Eight 2019 specification Ginetta Junior Championship tyres.
- Top Rookie – £1,000 parts credit at Ginetta Cars.
- Hard Charger – For the driver that gains the most positions over the four races, four 2019 specification Ginetta Junior Championship tyres.
Trophies will be issued for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place overall, as well as top rookie, in each race. Additional trophies will be presented to the top three drivers and the top rookie in the final points standings.
The entry fee for the Winter Series is £795+ VAT, while additional testing is available on Friday 8th November which will be bookable through Brands Hatch directly.
Drivers and teams interested in competing in the Winter Series are recommended to get in touch with Steph Bush (Championship Manager) at steph.bush@ginetta.com or Ashley Gallagher (Motorsport Manager) at ashley.gallagher@ginetta.com.
